Railroad mail delivering and receiving device



Oct. 6,1925.

F. W. R. POEKERT RAILROAD MAIL DELIVERING AND RECEIVING DEVICE 'FiledMarch 19. 1924 swwawmfiwuil W I ORNEY iatented Set. a, was.

UNITED STATES PATENT orr es.

FRIEDRICH WILI-IELM RICHARD POEKERT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD MAIL DELIVERING AND RECEIVING DEVIOE.

Application filed March 19,1924. "-SeriaI No. 700,239.

To all whom it may comer/2,:

Be it known that-I,"-FnEDR1cH WI-LHELM Riemann Ponnnnna citizen of the"United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad MailDelivering and Receiving Devices, 'ing is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatically acting mail delivering andreceiving device for railroad cars, the invention havin'g'for an objectthe provisionof a novel device of this sort' in which the arms onthe.car,' on which the mail to be delivered and received,

of w'hichthe followare adapted to be swung automatically through the cardoor opening to receiving and delivering position, a further objectrelating to the'pr'ovision ofa novel device on which the mail to be puton the train is placed.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing,

and to the appended claims in whichthe Fig. 5 15 a fragmentaryperspective view of the device that receives the mail bag from thetrain.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing in which I have shownthe device from which the mail is delivered to the train, the samecomprises a structure consisting of a frame 10 in the top of which isformed a delivery platform comprising a series of rollers 11 which arearranged with their axes transverse to the track and on which the bag orbags containing the mail rests. A mail bag is shown at 12 on theplatform and has attached thereto, as by the cord 13, a ring 14. Infront of these rollers, that is toward the railroad track, I provide adevice which removably supports the said aring, or-rings when a numberof bags are placeds'onthe platform, in positionto be engaged Ibytheelement on the mailcar. This device co'mprise's a wirecoil l6 having its'coils rel'atively closely spaced :so that the l in'gs L 14 can i be'frictionally fitted therebetween, this icoilsextending along the track7 *an'dbeing mounted'ona fiat bar l7 fixed to the framelO. Toreceive=the mail from the train, a rod 18 is' fiaxed atJoneendtoannp- Iward extension '19 from one sidebofthe frame 10 and extends under andparallel to the coil '16. l

"For receiving and delivering the mail bags I mount in the ma l car, adacent the sides of the door opening 20 apair :of posts 26 which arearranged for partial rotary movement, these posts having fixed to theirlower" ends. the vertical shaft extensions 26 I which project downwardbelow thecar body "and'have .bevel gears 27 fixedon their lower ends;These bevel gears 27 are adapted to be: selectively engaged'by' therespective ones "of pairs of 'lbevel gears 28 the respective :gears ofeach "pair being fixed on acommon sleeve 29, thesesleeves being mountedon and having feather connections such as 30 with shaft 32-,the gears28thereon being spaced apart' fromone another a distance greater than thediameters of the gears 17- so that as one gearxofeach pair is moved intoenother moves out of engagement, the gears being normally held inneutral position by I gagement with the adjacent gear 27 the means of:coiled expansion springs 34 which v surround the shaft 32- and bear onthe opposite ends of, the sleeves. The posts :26

have angular arms 35 fixed :thereto; to receive and deliver the mail.

The shaft 32 extends longitudinally under the car body and is adapted toreceive constant rotation as the car moves, and to this end it isconnected to one of the car 7 wheels tobe driven by the latter. As hereshown this connection comprises a spur pinion 37 on the wheel axle 38meshing with a spur gear 39 on a stub shaft 40 on which is also fixed abevel pinion 41 meshing with a bevel gear 42 on a short longitudinalshaft 43 which has a drive connection, by means of a chain 44 loopedover suitable sprocket wheels, with the shaft 32.

The sleeves 29 are adapted to be moved, to bring the proper ones of thegears 28 into mesh with the gears 27 by means of lever arms 48 fixed attheir lower ends on rock shafts 49 and having forked upper ends,engaging the sleeves in any suitable manner. These shafts 49 have fixedthereto the angu- Early offset arms 4E8 which are adapted to be engaged,to shift the levers, by rails 50, of suitable length extending along thetrack and having cam end 51. The levers 48 are connected together tooperate inversely in unison, so as to cause the proper ones of the gears28 to be brought into operation to swing the arms on the posts inwardlyand outwardly in unison. This connection is here effected by means ofthe arms 53 on the levers which iro'ect toward one another one p i athese arms having a socket 5a in its end which the end of the other armengages.

As will be understood, the respective rails 50 and 50 will be spacedalong the track in opposite directions respectively from the mail stlien and are laterally offset from one another. Fixed to the rock shafts49 are downwardly and rearwardl'f. extending arms 60, 60 which may haverollers 61 on their lower ends adapted to bear on the respective rails.

it is believed that the manner of operation of my improved device willbe readilyunderstood from the above description it being apparent, thatwhen the rail 50 engages the arm 60 the posts 26 will be swung in onedirection, and that when the rail 50 engages the arm 60 the posts willbe swung in an opposite direction, so that the mail clerk in the car hasonly to place the mail on the an gular arms 35, which are automaticallyprojected outward through the door, and then later moved inward. It willbe understood that these rails 50 and 50 are of such length as to causethe ears 27, 28 to remain in mesh for just suiiicient time to swing thearms 3 to the desired distance.

Having thus described m v invention what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In a mail car, mail delivering and receiving means comprising a pairof posts arranged at opposite sides of the car door opening, mailholding elements on said posts, and means for swinging said posts inunison to project said elements through the aid opening, said meansincluding a constantiy nriven shaft gears fixed to said posts, pairs ofgears feathered on to said shaft and adapted to selectively engage saidfirst gears, a fixed rail, and a device adapted to engage said rail tomove said gears into mesh.

in a mail car, mail delivering and receiving means C )l ."")I'lSiYlg apair of posts arra ed at opposite sides of the car door openi g mailholding elements on said posts, and means for swinging said posts tounison to project said elements through the said openi said meansincluding a constantly driven shaft, gears fixed to said posts, pairs ofgears feathered on to said shaft and adapted to selectively engage saidfirst gears, a fixed rail and a device adapted to engage said rail tomove said gears into mesh, said device comprising a lever engaged at oneend with said feathered gears and an arm fixed to said lever in toposition to engage said rail.

In a mail car, mail delivering and receiving means comprising a pair ofposts arranged at opposite sides of the car door opening, mail holdingelements on said posts, and means for swinging said posts in unison toproject said elements through the said opening, said means including aconstantly 1 Ed t, gears fixed to said posts p... of gears feathered onto said shaft and adapted to selectively engage said gears fixed rail,and a device adapted to engage said rail to move said gears into mesh,and said springs holding said feathered gears in neutral positions.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature.

FREDRICH WILHELM RICHARDYOEKERT.

